Future Builders of America Students Visit IRISS Construction Site

Lakewood Ranch, FL – On Friday, students belonging to the Manatee and Sarasota county chapters of the Future Builders of America (FBA) visited the future home of IRISS’s global headquarters, a 32,000-square-foot manufacturing building currently under construction at Technology Terrace in Lakewood Ranch. Approximately 85 students participated in the tour of the construction site arranged by general contractor Fred M. Starling, Inc. and Bill Jarvis, vice president of commercial construction at Lakewood Ranch Commercial Realty, which was intended to expose students to real world examples of the construction technologies they learn about in the classroom.

The FBA program was established to mentor students interested in the construction/building industry. It currently has approximately 175 student members in six chapters located at Palmetto High, Manatee High, MTI, Lincoln Middle School, Sarasota Military Academy and North Port High School. Alan Anderson, Executive Vice President of the Home Builder’s Association of Manatee-Sarasota County, oversees the program and coordinates with the construction technology teacher advisors from each school.

Each year, students visit residential and commercial construction sites and participate in Habitat for Humanity projects as part of the program. They are also invited to attend a FBA Summer Leadership Camp and the annual International Builders Show in Orlando. In addition, the FBA provides scholarships for those students continuing their construction technology education in college.

With the completion of the FBA course curriculum, students are also eligible to earn various levels of certification awarded by the Department of Education, giving them important credentials prior to entering the job market.